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Biomedical subjects

M C Hung

Publications and source records attributed to M C Hung.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Differential amplification of the TGF-alpha gene in human gliomas.

The gene amplification and expression of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) in human gliomas was determined by Southern blot analysis and a receptor binding study. Amplification of the EGF-R gene was demonstrated in 3 of 11 tumors examined. All were glioblastomas, whereas the TGF-alpha gene was amplified in 7 of 11 tumors, and 6 of the 7 were recurrent glioblastomas and anaplastic astrocytomas. A competitive binding study with iodinated EGF showed a TGF-alpha-like activity ranging from 1.6-31.5 ng of EGF/microgram protein. These results suggest a differential expression of EGF-R and TGF-alpha genes among untreated and recurrent malignant gliomas.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1990

Effect of glucocorticoids on oncogene transformed NIH3T3 cells.

We studied the differential response of oncogene transformed NIH3T3 cells to glucocorticoids. As demonstrated for transformed human fibroblasts, the morphology of neu-, ras-, src- and sis-transformed mouse fibroblasts became more normal after glucocorticoid treatment. This change was not due to inhibition of the expression of oncogene mRNA or protein. However, the abl-transformed NIH3T3 cells were resistant to glucocorticoid-induced morphology change. These results indicate that the glucocorticoid-induced morphology change is specific to certain oncogene-transformed NIH3T3 cells. Transformed human fibroblasts generally have reduced amounts of cell surface fibronectin. When treated with glucocorticoids, they incorporate higher levels of fibronectin in their extracellular matrix, which correlates with their change in morphology. However, we found that, except for abl-transformed cells, the fibronectin level of the other oncogene transformed mouse cells was similar to non-transformed cells. Moreover, treatment of the neu-, ras-, src- and sis-transformed cells with glucocorticoids resulted in a change in morphology but no increase in cell surface fibronectin. These studies demonstrate that the glucocorticoid-induced morphological change of oncogene-transformed NIH3T3 cells is not due to enhanced expression of fibronectin. Therefore, other mechanisms are responsible for this glucocorticoid-induced phenotypic change of oncogene-transformed cells.

Cell Transformation, Neoplastic↗
PubMed1990

V-abl confers resistance and growth advantage to TNF-alpha in NIH3T3 cells.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine produced by macrophages and monocytes, and has been shown to have cytolytic, cytostatic or growth-stimulatory activity on transformed cells. However, the mechanism of these growth modulating activities of TNF-alpha is unknown. By studying the response of different oncogene-transformed NIH3T3 cells to TNF-alpha, we showed that the oncogene v-abl confers resistance to the cytostatic and cytolytic activities on TNF-alpha compared to the parental NIH3T3 cells. Most interestingly, v-abl expression also resulted in a growth-enhancing response to TNF-alpha at up to the highest dose of 6,400 units/ml. These altered properties were not due to the transformation event itself, since EJ-ras oncogene transformed NIH3T3 cells were more susceptible to TNF-alpha than the parental cells. Moreover, EMT-6, a mouse adenocarcinoma cell line, which responded similarly to NIH3T3 cells, did not show growth-enhancement at high TNF-alpha dosages. Though resistant to the direct cytotoxic activity of TNF-alpha, the v-abl transformed cell line was effectively killed by macrophages, as were the other cell lines. This suggests tumor cell killing by macrophages must involve mechanisms in addition to the secretion of TNF-alpha.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1989

Differential expression of the c-erbB-2 gene in human small cell and non-small cell lung cancer.

We studied non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) from 60 patients for abnormalities in the c-erbB-2 gene. Eleven human lung cancer cell lines, including four derived from small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and seven derived from NSCLC were also examined for altered c-erbB-2 gene expression. Southern blot analysis of paired tumor and normal lung samples demonstrated that amplification of the c-erbB-2 gene is rare in NSCLC (2/60) and not restricted to adenocarcinomas. One patient showed an EcoRI restriction fragment length polymorphism for the c-erbB-2 locus. Four of four SCLC cell lines demonstrated minimal or nondetectable expression of c-erbB-2 mRNA compared to high levels of expression by seven of seven NSCLC lines. The highest expression levels were seen in four of four adenocarcinomas. We conclude that c-erbB-2 expression is different in SCLC compared to NSCLC and high expression of c-erbB-2 is consistently present in lung adenocarcinomas.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMed1989

Amplification of the proto-neu oncogene facilitates oncogenic activation by a single point mutation.

To determine whether the amplification of the proto-neu oncogene (also called c-erbB-2) plays a role in tumorigenicity, we previously generated an NIH 3T3 transfectant (DHFR/G-8) that carried the amplified proto-neu gene. The DHFR/G-8 cells exhibited normal morphology. Their growth curve was similar to that of NIH 3T3 cells but was different from that of the B104-1 cell, and NIH 3T3 transfectant that carries the activated neu oncogene. When injected into nude mice, B104-1 cells produced tumors within 2 weeks, whereas the DHFR/G-8 cells did not produce tumors until 3 months after injection, and the NIH 3T3 cells did not produce any tumors even after 3 months. The tumors produced by the injection of the DHFR/G-8 cells were excised and grown in culture. The cells derived from the tumors were of transformed morphology and highly tumorigenic. The DNAs from the tumor cells were transfected into NIH 3T3 cells. The transfection resulted in foci on the NIH 3T3 monolayer. Southern analysis indicated that the foci derived from the transfection contained the neu gene. Using oligonucleotides as probes, the neu gene in the foci was found to carry a single-point mutation identical to the one previously found in the rat neuroblastoma and glioblastoma induced by the ethylnitrosourea. We conclude that the DNA region encoding the transmembrane domain of neu is a hot spot for converting the proto-neu gene into an activated oncogene and that amplification of the proto-neu gene facilitates mutation of the hot spot.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Amplification and rearrangement of c-erb B proto-oncogenes in cancer of human female genital tract.

There are two genes related to the v-erb B oncogene in the human genome. The c-erb B-1 gene encodes the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-r), and the c-erb B-2/neu gene encodes a receptor-like protein very similar to, but distinct from the EGF-r. Southern blot analysis of DNAs from 15 fresh human ovarian carcinomas showed that the c-erb B-2/neu gene was amplified in 3 tumors. The c-erb B-1/EGF-r gene was not amplified. However, in one case of adenocarcinoma of uterine endometrium, the c-erb B-1/EGF-r was found to be rearranged in the 5' region of this gene. The genomic structure of the rearranged c-erb B-1/EGF-r gene is similar to those found in the chicken v-erb B oncogene, which produces a truncated form of the EGF-r. The results suggest that amplification of the c-erb B-2/neu gene may play a role in the pathogenesis of ovarian carcinoma. Further, the human c-erb B-1/EGF-r gene in adenocarcinoma of uterine endometrium may be activated by a similar mechanism as that in the chicken v-erb B oncogene.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1988

Expression of an altered epidermal growth factor receptor by human glioblastoma cells.

The expression and activities of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and a highly related protein (Mr approximately 190,000 protein; p190) were characterized from a human glioma cell line, KE. p190 was specifically immunoprecipitated with a monoclonal antibody with specificity against the EGF receptor (Mr approximately 170,000; p170). Furthermore, both proteins were shown to possess tyrosine-protein kinase activities, although p170 required the presence of EGF to undergo autophosphorylation, whereas p190 appeared to be constitutively activated. Partial and total proteolytic polypeptide analyses of the two proteins suggested that their phosphopeptides were nearly identical and were phosphorylated on similar amino acid residues. However, a number of alterations were observed between [35S]methionine-labeled polypeptides of p170 and p190. This was also supported by the finding that the size of the protein cores of p170 and p190 was different. This observation is in agreement with Northern blot analysis in which KE cells expressed a novel EGF receptor RNA of 10.5 kilobases in addition to the previously reported 10-kilobase RNA. Southern blot analysis of the EGF receptor gene also revealed some amplification, approximately 4- to 5-fold; however, no significant rearrangements were noted in the KE cell DNA. These results suggest that p190 represents an endogeneous structurally and functionally altered EGF receptor.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1987

Decreased levels of hepatic epidermal growth factor receptors in obese hyperglycemic rodents.

Stimulation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor autophosphorylation by EGF and phosphorylation of a Mr 52,000 protein endogenous to the membrane extracts were decreased 6-12-fold in liver membrane extracts from mice homozygous for either the ob/ob or db/db mutation when compared to controls. Liver membranes from the mutant mice bound 4-5-fold less 125I-EGF/unit of protein than did their normal littermates, but exhibited normal EGF binding affinity. Similar decreases in EGF binding were noted in liver membranes from homozygous fa/fa Zucker rats, another obese, hyperinsulinemic animal model, when compared to values from control animals. We also immunoprecipitated hepatic EGF receptors from mice injected with [35S]methionine, and found that livers from db/db mice contained approximately 35% of the labeled EGF receptors found in control animals. Both ob/ob and db/db mice had serum immunoreactive EGF levels similar to or lower than those found in unaffected littermates, suggesting that ligand-mediated down-regulation of receptors was not the cause of the decreased EGF binding. In one mutant, db/db, the decreased binding was associated with a 6-fold decrease in the levels of liver EGF receptor mRNA transcripts; in the ob/ob mice, at most a 2-fold decrease in the level of liver EGF receptor transcripts was observed. EGF binding to cultured peritoneal fibroblasts derived from db/db mice was normal, suggesting that the abnormality in the mutant mice might result from altered environmental or tissue-specific factors rather than an abnormal receptor gene. This was supported by Southern blot analysis of DNA from these animals, which showed identical restriction fragment patterns for the EGF receptor gene in both control and mutant animals. These data indicate that three distinct strains of obese hyperglycemic rodents have decreased levels of hepatic EGF receptors, and suggest that this decrease may result from altered environmental stimuli or tissue-specific factors rather than a primary defect in the EGF receptor gene.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Characterization of rodent epidermal growth factor receptor transcripts using a mouse genomic probe.

Two genomic DNA clones encoding part of the mouse epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor were isolated: an 8.0 kb insert that hybridized with the human EGF receptor kinase domain; and a 2.4 kb insert that mapped between the kinase and 3' autophosphorylation domains of the human EGF receptor gene. The 2.4 kb insert was further digested to a 2.0 kb fragment and a 0.4 kb fragment containing 49 residues that were almost identical to the corresponding human EGF receptor sequence. Ribonuclease protection studies with mouse RNA identified three exons of 170 kb, 105 kb, and 50 kb in the 2.0 kb probe that were less homologous to the corresponding human or rat mRNAs. Northern blot hybridizations identified two EGF receptor transcripts of 10 kb and 6 kb in normal, but not EGF-nonresponsive, mouse cell lines, and a single 9.5 kb transcript in rat cells. An additional 6.5 kb transcript from rat NRK cells was identified that is related to but not transcribed from the EGF receptor gene.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Multiple independent activations of the neu oncogene by a point mutation altering the transmembrane domain of p185.

The neu oncogene, which is frequently activated in neuro- and glioblastomas of BDIX rats, was originally identified in the NIH 3T3 focus-forming assay. cDNA clones of the normal and transforming alleles of neu have been isolated. When these clones are inserted into the expression vector pSV2, they direct the synthesis of p185, the neu gene product. The transforming cDNA clone yields foci when transfected onto a NIH 3T3 monolayer, but the normal cDNA does not. The construction of in vitro recombinants between the normal and transforming cDNAs has allowed the determination of the mutation responsible for the activation of the neu proto-oncogene. A single point mutation changes a valine in the transmembrane domain of the predicted protein product insert to a glutamic acid. The DNAs from four independent cell lines containing activated neu oncogenes contain the identical mutation at this position.

Alleles↗
PubMed1986

Molecular cloning of the neu gene: absence of gross structural alteration in oncogenic alleles.

The neu gene is distantly related to the erbB gene and encodes a cell surface protein that appears to function as a growth factor receptor. To study the mechanisms that caused the conversion of the normal neu gene to an oncogenic allele, we have isolated molecular clones of the neu oncogene as well as a clone of the corresponding protooncogene. The transforming neu oncogene and the proto-neu gene clones exhibit identical restriction enzyme patterns. Amplification of the proto-neu gene in NIH 3T3 cells by means of cotransfection with a dihydrofolate reductase gene resulted in methotrexate-resistant colonies that produce high levels of normal neu-encoded p185 protein. In contrast to cells carrying low levels of the oncogene-encoded protein, these cells appeared normal. The results suggest that the lesion that led to activation of the neu gene is a minor change in DNA sequence and is apparently located in the protein-encoding region of the gene.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

The neu gene: an erbB-homologous gene distinct from and unlinked to the gene encoding the EGF receptor.

The neu oncogene, identified in ethylnitrosourea-induced rat neuroglioblastomas, had strong homology with the erbB gene that encodes the epidermal growth factor receptor. This homology was limited to the region of erbB encoding the tyrosine kinase domain. It was concluded that the neu gene is a distinct novel gene, as it is not coamplified with sequences encoding the EGF receptor in the genome of the A431 tumor line and it maps to human chromosome 17.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Independent control elements that determine yolk protein gene expression in alternative Drosophila tissues.

The adjacent and divergently transcribed yp1 and yp2 genes of Drosophila were separated at a site that is 342 base pairs upstream of yp2 and 883 base pairs upstream of yp1. Each gene was separately used to transform Drosophila germ-line-producing flies with a single copy of the introduced gene. Transcripts from the introduced genes were found only in adult females. Thus, the introduced genes maintain the sex- and time-specific expression pattern of the endogenous yp genes. However, the pattern of tissue-specific expression differed among the two introduced genes and the endogenous genes. Transcripts from both of the endogenous genes are found in fat bodies and ovaries. In contrast, transcripts from the introduced yp1 gene are found only in fat bodies, and those from the introduced yp2 gene are found only in ovaries. Thus, each introduced DNA segment lacks at least one of the cis-acting elements required for the normal pattern of tissue-specific expression. These results indicate that the expression of a yp gene in different tissues is determined by different cis-acting elements.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1985

Developmental control of Drosophila yolk protein 1 gene by cis-acting DNA elements.

In this paper we have demonstrated that at least two tissue-specific cis-acting DNA elements are necessary for the normal developmental pattern of Drosophila yp1 gene expression. One of these elements is necessary for expression in the adult female follicle cells and the other is necessary for expression in adult female fat bodies. We have localized the fat body expression element to a 125-bp fragment that lies between nucleotides -196 and -321 of the yp1 gene. This small fragment has at least one of the characteristics of enhancer sequences because it can direct a heterologous Drosophila promoter to be transcribed with the yp1 fat body expression pattern.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Different restriction enzyme-generated sticky DNA ends can be joined in vitro.

We describe a simple method for joining the 5'-protruding, single-stranded DNA ends generated by restriction enzymes. The method allows ends with different sequences to be joined and prevents identical ends from being joined. This is accomplished by partially filling the single strands in a controlled reverse transcriptase reaction. Partial filling can create new single-stranded ends that can be ligated to different, partially filled ends. In almost all useful cases, partial filling simultaneously eliminates the self-complementarity of identical ends and thus prevents them from being joined by DNA ligase. Although all possible combinations of partially filled ends were not tested, the tests performed indicate that the method is fairly general. We demonstrate that ends of the same length can be ligated with useful efficiency if they are: 1) one nucleotide long and complementary; 2) two nucleotides long and complementary or have a mismatch (dA:dC) at one position; or 3) three nucleotides long and, in our test, have a dT:dC mismatch at the middle position.

Avian Myeloblastosis Virus↗
PubMed1983

Sequence and structure conservation in yolk proteins and their genes.

The yp1 and yp2 genes of Drosophila code for egg yolk proteins. Their transcription is hormone-dependent and co-ordinate. In this paper we describe the complete nucleotide sequence of the yp2 gene and of the region between these two divergently transcribed genes. We also map the mature messenger RNA on the yp2 gene sequence. We then use this information and similar information previously determined for the yp1 gene to find features common to the two genes and to the two proteins. Most features common to the nucleotide sequences flanking the two genes are consensus sequences that have been found in many other eukaryotic genes. An unusual feature common to the two genes is a potential stem-and-loop structure, which has a TATA box, a capping site, ribosomal RNA homology and then a translation initiation codon at the four successive junctions between single strands and duplexes. A second unusual common feature is a 13-nucleotide sequence that is similar to a recently proposed consensus sequence for the progesterone-receptor binding site. We speculate that the stem-and-loop structure and the conserved 13-nucleotide sequence may be involved in the co-ordinate, hormone-dependent expression of the genes. In examining features common to the two proteins we find that the sequences are 53% homologous and the predicted secondary structures are nearly identical. We propose that the conserved secondary structure is important to the oligomerization and perhaps to other activities common to these proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1982

Role of aromatic residues in the structure-function relationship of alpha-bungarotoxin.

The conformation of alpha-bungarotoxin and its cyanogen bromide cleaved and nitrated derivatives was studied by circular dichroism (CD). Native toxin contains no helices but some beta forms and possibly beta turns. Its ordered conformation is little affected when the peptide bond between Met-27 and Trp-28 is cleaved; however, the CD due to Trp-28 is abolished. The CNBr-cleaved derivative retains its immunoaffinity toward anti-toxin sera but loses its neurotoxicity toward the acetylcholine receptor. On the basis of both CD and fluorescence spectra, Trp-28 is probably stabilized by a short-range interaction with the carboxylate group of Asp-30. The ordered conformation of the toxin is also unaltered when one of the two tyrosine residues, identified as Tyr-54, is nitrated with tetranitromethane. This Tyr(NO2)-54 derivative possesses both immunoaffinity and neurotoxicity. However, the toxin is denatured and loses its activities when the other tyrosine residue, Tyr-24, is also nitrated in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride, even after the denaturant is removed. Spectrophotometric titration of the toxin indicates that Tyr-54 has a normal apparent dissociation constant (pKa = 9.7) and Tyr-24 ionizes at pH above 11.2. Both tyrosine residues are in a polar environment, but Tyr-24 is not readily accessible to reagents and is stabilized by long-range interactions, probably involving Glu-41.

Amino Acid Sequence↗